Latin American Cuisine – A Colombian Breakfast
In this article I will talk about the cuisine of Colombia, specifically the breakfast that is eaten in Medellín, Colombia. You will also learn some useful words in Spanish, such as how to say egg whites and egg yolks in Spanish.
At least once a month and sometimes twice a month, I will receive an email from a client who wants to know more about the culture of Colombia, especially about “Paisas”, the people of Medellin, Colombia.
I could go on and on telling you about Medellin. Most people think of Medellin, Colombia as the city that was once known as the most dangerous city in the world (just 20 years ago, during the rule of former billionaire drug lord Pablo Escobar).
But today Medellin is a metropolis with high-rise buildings, beautiful spring weather, friendly people, nightlife (which I enjoy even more than major US cities like New York, Washington, DC, and Atlanta), and of course , a city with strikingly beautiful women everywhere. But in this email I will only talk about “paisa breakfast”.
By the way, a typical breakfast in Colombia varies from one city to another. But this is a typical “desayuno” (breakfast) in Medellin or “paisa breakfast”:
1. Eggs with dressings (also called “huevos con hogao”)
The “eggs” are eggs. And the “huevos con aliños” consist of “huevos revueltas” (scrambled eggs) with “tomato y onion” (tomato and onion).
By the way, when I lived on the Colombian coast, in a city called Barranquilla, the term they used for scrambled eggs was “huevos pericos”.
While we’re on the subject of “eggs,” here are a couple of words English speakers often mispronounce in Spanish. On more than one occasion, I’ve heard a native English speaker use a literal translation when referring to “egg whites.”
Do NOT call them “the egg whites”. And when I started learning Spanish, I once called the yolk “the yellow of an egg” literally. Here are the correct words:
has. Egg whites (egg whites, literally “whites of the egg”)
b. Egg yolk (egg yolk)
Going back to the typical “paisa breakfast”…
2. Buttered corn arepa — Buttered corn arepa. An arepa is a tortilla made from ground corn dough and is popular in both Colombia and Venezuela.
3. Quesito: a white cheese, very fresh and soft.
4. Calentao: This is a mix of the “frijoles” (beans) left over from the night before and the “arroz” (rice) left over from the night before.
5. “Salchicha” (sausage) or “Chorizo” (spicy sausage) or a slice of “Carne Asada” (grilled meat). And the grilled meat can be a choice between cow, pork or chicken.
6. Café con leche (Coffee with milk) or “chocolate” (hot chocolate) or “jugo” (juice).
In a restaurant, this “breakfast” costs about 6,000 or 7,000 Colombian pesos. About $3.00 or $3.50 US
By the way, this morning I cooked a typical “paisa breakfast” for me and my “girlfriend”. As usual, I skipped the arepa and put a couple of slices of “bread” (bread) in the “tostador” (toaster) and made “toast”.
I think I am one of the few people in Medellin who has a toaster. And as always, my girlfriend didn’t eat the tostada and cooked an arepa on a little grill over the stove and buttered it. ), and then she put a couple of slices of “quesito” (fresh white cheese typical of Medellin) on top of it.
I told him one day that I’m going to cook him a gringo-style “breakfast”:
Blueberry Pancakes or Waffles or French Toast with Turkey Bacon. A breakfast that I personally prefer to “paisa breakfast” any morning. Which explains why at least once a week I go to McDonalds here in the morning for pancakes dipped in syrup (syrup) and butter (butter). And don’t get me started on how much I miss New York pizza or a Philly cheesesteak.